Device for combing warp threads and tightening the weft thread in a circular weavingloom



H. PELCE DEVICE FOR COMBING WARP THREADS AND TIGHTENING April 23, 1946.

THE WEFT THREAD IN A CIRCULAR WEAVINGILOOM Fi led Feb. 14, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Apnl 23, 1946. H. PELCE 2,398,956

DEVI-3E FOR GOMBING WARP THREADS AND TIGHTENING THE WEFT THREAD IN ACIRCULAR wEAvmcT LOOM Filed Feb. 14, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr.23, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR COMBING WARP THREADS ANDTIGHTENING THE WEFT THREAD IN A CIRCULAR WEAVING LOOM Henri Pelc, Paris,France, assi'gnor to Saint Freres (Societ Anonyme), Paris, FranceApplication February 14, 1945, Serial No. 577,916 In France February 14,1942 Claims.

' manufacturing a cloth of regular composition and of good aspect, evenwith irregular or fluffy threads or having a tendency to curl up.

It is known that these defects frequently determine irregularities inthe even spacing of the warp threads at the place where the weft threadis inserted in the bottom of the shed, and this particularly in circularweaving looms in which the weft thread is inserted by means of horns orrollers rigid with the shuttle and taking a bearing on the weft threadat the place where it isinserted.

According to the present invention, the combing and even spacing of thewarp threads as well as the tightening of the weft threads are ensuredby loosely rotating wheels, peripherally provided with teeth or points,mounted outside the shed at the rear of each shuttle and rolling on thelayers formed when the shed is closed by the warp threads, with theirteeth or points engaged between said threads. Said wheels have acircular movement of translation with an angular speed equal to that ofthe shuttle which precedes them. Their axis of rotation is arrangedobliquely relatively to the direction of the warp threads so that themean plane of said wheels is tangent to the well of the loom, at a pointlocated behind the point where the weft thread is inserted. Each of thewheels, by rolling on the warp threads, causes them to be therebysubjected to a combing action directed from the exterior towards theinterior. By arranging said wheels one behind the other so that theypartly overlap and that the points of the last one are very near thewell of the loom, an uninterrupted combing of the warp threads can beobtained. On any length which is a function of the number of wheels andof their inclination relatively to the threads, the combing thusobtained i most efiicient, moreover the passage of the threads from onewheel to the next, and the vibrations to which said threads aresubjected which result therefrom have a particularly favorable effect ontheir even spacing. As regards the weft thread which is placed in frontof the first roller immediately following the shut tle, it successivelyencounters the points of the wheels which gradually push it up to thebottom direction of the well I5.

of the shed where it is'tightened when the shed is closed, then lookedwhen the shed opens after beating.

The combing action of the warp threads has also the effect of setting,parallel to the warp threads, the fibrils of the fiuffy threads, as wellas the particles of certain threads, such as the ends of knots, spinningties, which are sometimes drawn along after the shuttle. The deviceaccording to the invention thus ensures a perfect crossing of the shedup to the point where the weft is inserted.

The device according to the invention has moreover the effect oftightening on the well the flowing ends of broken warp threads and ofthereby preventing said flowing ends from being the cause ofentanglements and accidents.

The accompanying drawings given by way of example illustrate anembodiment of the device according to the invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan view.

Fig. 2 is a developed view thereof in side elevation, seen from thecentre of the loom.

Fig. 3 is a radial section of the loom.

The loom illustrated by way of example is of the type in which theshuttle I is propelled by means of a pushing roller 2 having a circularmovement of translation about its aXis so as to roll on the layers ofwarp threads. Said roller 2 pushes before it another roller 3, looselymounted on the rear of the shuttle I. The shoe 4 of the latter is guidedby a sliding track formed by a ring of platens 5 which constitute withupper and lower rings 6 and 1 a kind of guide of dove-tail shape inwhich the shuttle shoe is correctly held. The pushing roller 2 isrotatively mounted on a support 8 placed on a rotating plate 9, actuatedby the mechanism of the loom; the rotation of the pushing roller isproduced from a fixed toothed crown wheel H], in engagement with apinion H connected to the roller 2 by a transmission device, not shown.

Fig. 3 shows the warp threads !2 and I3 in a position adjacent to themean beating plane of the sheds, just after the passage of a shuttle.

On the support 8 is secured an arm M which extends towards the sideopposed to that ofthe pushing roller 2 and which is obliquely set in theSaid arm supports a series of fixed spindles I6 obliquely set relativelyto the warp threads l2 and I3 and on which are freely mounted wheels I1,l8 and I9 peripherally provided with points 20. The inclination of theplane of the wheels 11, I 8, I9 is so chosen that their mean plane istangent to the well at a point located behind the point where the weftthread 2! is inserted in the bottom of the shed. Said wheels aremoreover aligned so that they'partly overlap at their peripheral edgesand thus form at their ypper part an uninterrupted bearing surface.Finally, the height of the spindles is so chosen that the points 29 ofthe upper edge of the wheels can come in engagement with the Warpthreads when the latter are in a position adjacent the mean beatingplane of the sheds. Said height of the spindles i5 preferably decreasesfrom the first wheel I! to the last one I 9, so that said last wheeldoes not hinder the even spacing of the warp threads adjusted by thefirst wheels l7, l8 and the passage of the warp threads from each wheelto the next one.

Owing to the fact that the wheels l7, l8, [9 follow the circularmovement of translation of their common support, the warp threads, whenleaving the rear nose of the preceding shuttle, bear against the upperedge of the wheels, between the points, and cause them to rotate bypassing one on the other up to the last one, the points of which arevery close to the well of the loom. But, owing to the inclination of thewheels, the points of the upper edge also move from the exterior towardsthe interior, of the machine during the rotation, and consequently slidealong the warp threads which are thus combed.

In the arrangement illustrated, said combing is only eifected on aportion of the length of the warp threads during their travel betweenthe platens 5 and the well i5. But it is to be understood that thecombing might be effected throughout the zone located between theplatens 5 and the well 15. It sufiices for that purpose to arrange oneor several rows of wheels H, l8 19 in sufiicient number for the twoextreme wheels to be respectively adjacent to the well and to the ringof platens 5. The warp threads would thus be combed throughout theirlength, located between the Well and the ring of platens.

It will be easily seen that the Weft thread 22, inserted in the shed infront of the points of the first wheel I! following the shuttle, issuccessively pushed back by all the points of the upper edge of thewheels H, l8, 19 up to the bottom of the shed.

Considering that the space between the Warp threads progressiveldiminishes from the exterior towards the interior in the zone locatedbetween the ring of platens 5 and the Well 15, the space separating thepoints is successively reduced from one wheel to the other, inproportion as said wheels approach the well.

Said points are moreover suitably inclined in the direction opposed tothe direction of rotation of the wheels so as to facilitate thedisengagement of the warp threads when they pass over the successivewheels and when they are abandoned by the last of said wheels.

Another advantage of the device according to the invention resides inthe fact that the points of the wheels H, I8, l9 catch on to the warpthreads which have been moved out of their normal beating plane by thepassage of the shuttle. Said threads are then suddenly abandoned by thepoints and begin to vibrate. The vibration has the eifect of causingthem to return to their normal place.

Another interesting particularity described hereinafter concurs inimparting to the Warp threads a very even spacing. Considering theintervals between the successive points of all the wheels, it will benoted, when the loom is operating, that said intervals do not allreceive the same number of warp threads. Considering for instance theedge of the first roller in engagement with the warp threads in a welldefined region of the latter, it will be noted that said threads aretaken in any order, one, two or three or even more at a time in thesuccessive intervals between the points. This order changes when thesame threads are picked by the second roller. It changes again whenpassing over the third roller, etc.

Upon the next passage of the rollers, and for the same zone considered,a different picking takes place always in any order. Consequently at theend of a certain number of passages it can be said that all the threadshave been individually and very efficiently combed.

From this succession of irregular pickings of the warp threads moreoverresults a succession of slight displacements of the threads on eitherside of their radial beating plane, and this effect, in addition to thevibratory eifect also produced, contributes in imparting to the fabric avery regular aspect, and this whatever may be the count of warp threads.

Without departing from the principle of the invention, the form andarrangements of the various members can of course be modified at willand adapted to the various types of circular weaving looms.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for combing and even spacing warp threads and fortightening the weft thread in the bottom of the shed of a circularweaving loom, a shuttle, a row of loosely rotating wheels provided withpoints, having a circular movement of translation with an angular speedequal to that of the shuttle, mounted outside the shed behind theshuttle and rolling on the layers formed when the shed is closed by thewarp threads, with their points engaged between said threads, the meanplane of said wheels being tangent to the well of the loom at a pointlocated behind the place where the weft thread is inserted and thepoints of the wheel farthest from the shuttle being immediately adjacentsaid well.

2. In a device as claimed in claim 1, wheels mounted in such a mannerthat they partly overlap laterally so that their upper edges form, forthe weft thread, an uninterrupted bearing surface from the first Wheelto the last one.

3. In a device as claimed in claim 1, wheels the points of which haveintervals decreasing from the first wheel following the shuttle up tothe last one, adjacent the well.

4. In a device according to claim 1, wheels the spindles of which are atheights decreasing from the first Wheel to the last one.

5. In a device according toclaim 1, wheels the points of which aresuitably inclined radially, in the direction reverse to the direction ofrotationofsaid wheels.

HENRI PELCE.

